This invention relates to a component for a motor vehicle trailer hitch assembly and in particular, to a novel receiver tube construction.
Trailer hitches of the type used for conventional motor vehicles frequently have a receiver tube permanently mounted to the vehicle which receives a removable trailer hitch bar. A conventional mounting ball for a trailer tongue is mounted on the hitch bar. These types of trailer hitches are in wide-spread use today, and are often used for hauling boats, travel trailers, utility trailers, etc. Hitch receiver tubes are usually mounted to the vehicle frame or body using one or more cross braces. The receiver tube opens toward the rear of the vehicle for receiving the hitch bar, which is a square cross-section solid bar of metal which is slid into the receiver tube.
In order to reinforce the rear-facing opening of the receiver tube, during fabrication of the hitch, a reinforcing ring is slid onto the receiver tube end and welded in place. Although this conventional construction for receiver tube fabrication provides an acceptable product, it has several disadvantages. The receiver tube end is visible when viewing the rear of the vehicle, and being of welded construction, has appearance disadvantages. More importantly, however, the weld beads joining the receiver tube and the reinforcing ring are a prime area for the generation of corrosion. In addition, since it is unpractical to fit the reinforcing ring to the receiver tube without separation gaps between them, areas for the collection of contaminants are present, further leading to corrosion problems. Also significant is the fact that the multipiece construction of the conventional receiver tube requires two components to be separately manufactured, transported, handled and welded in place in order to complete the receiver tube.
This invention seeks to provide an improved trailer hitch receiver tube of integral construction in which the receiving end is reinforced through a metal forming process. The process of the invention of forming the receiving end also simultaneously accurately sizes and forms the inside cavity of the receiver tube. The resulting trailer hitch receiver tube has a much improved appearance having no weld beads or rough metal edges visible. The integral construction also eliminates pockets for contaminant collection and provides exceptional reinforcement of the tube seam weld. The receiver tubes produced according to this invention further reduces manpower and assembly requirements, thus providing efficient production capabilities.
Additional benefits and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art to which this invention relates from the subsequent description of the preferred embodiments and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.